History and Mission

by Debra Murphy, founder & publisher of Idylls Press LLC

When I’m asked what idylls Press is all about, I always think of a scene from one of Clan Murphy’s most beloved films, the 1951 adaptation (“Scrooge”) of Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, starring Alistair Sim. I don’t believe the scene is in Dickens’ original story, but in the movie, screenwriter Noel Langley depicts a conversation between the small tradesman Old Fezziwig, young Scrooge’s erstwhile employer, and one Mr. Jorkin, a sharp dealing colleague and self-described “man of vision and progress.” Viewing business through the lens of scramble-up-the-food-chain Social Darwinism, Jorkin tries to persuade Fezziwig to “sell out to the vested interests” with the argument that by doing so, Fezziwig will get far more money than if he continued to operate his own business

To which Old Fezziwig replies, “It’s not just for money alone that one spends a lifetime building up a business. It’s to preserve a way of life that one knew and loved.”